


The Lesser of Two Evils

by Neelrah_nyx



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adult Draco Malfoy, Adult Hermione Granger, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Voldemort Wins, Angst, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Death, Deviates From Canon, Diary/Journal, Drama, Emotional Manipulation, Eventual Romance, F/M, Ginny Weasley Dies, Harry Potter Dies, Hogwarts, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Love, Manipulation, Manipulative Tom Riddle, Master & Servant, Master/Servant, POV Hermione Granger, Past Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Post-Canon, Post-Hogwarts, Post-War, Rape/Non-con Elements, Relationship(s), Romance, Sexual Assault, Sexual Content, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Tom Riddle's Diary, Violence, War, Young Tom Riddle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:13:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29008842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neelrah_nyx/pseuds/Neelrah_nyx
Summary: The Second Wizarding War is over and Voldemort has won. The death of Ginny Weasley in the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter in the Battle of Hogwarts marked the rise of a Pure-blood government run by Death Eaters that seeks to suppress magic and control the Wizarding World. Hermione Granger has been assigned as a Servant to a supreme Death Eater family but she uncovers a secret weapon that can overthrow Voldemort’s government and bring it to ashes. However, this secret weapon is a manipulative and cunning former Slytherin who made it difficult for her to take control.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Tom Riddle
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	1. The Assigning Ceremony (Part One)

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: This fanfic is a work of fiction and the plotline belongs to me (Neelrah_nyx)! Any similarities to other fanfiction and works are purely coincidental. A few elements of the story were obtained from gathering ideas throughout the internet, but the plotline is entirely by me. I also want to reiterate that I do not own any of these characters and they belong to the author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling. The only thing that is mine is the plot, which strays away from canon as most elements occur after the Second Wizarding War, with references to canon and non-canon events during the duration of the 7 books.  
> PLEASE do not copy my work. I have worked very hard on the idea and it would be a shame if it went to shambles. Thus far, I have not posted anywhere else and have made no translations. If this story is seen anywhere that has not been specified by me, either message me or report the story. Thank you! 
> 
> Warnings: This story has elements of non-con and rape which I do not recommend for those who struggle with reading this type of stuff. Although my work does NOT have explicit smut in it as I am not entirely comfortable writing that type of stuff, there will be references to sexual content that goes into a little detail about sexual assault and such. Please do not read if that type of content is triggering!
> 
> Follow me on TikTok! I post videos there from time to time depending on my mood haha.  
> (TikTok: lumos_ht)

**May 29, 1999**

_Dear Ginny,_

_It has been 6 years since your death, and to say that I miss you is an understatement._ _I_ _hope you, Harry and Fred are doing well and wreaking havoc along with the other Hogwarts students. I find solace in knowing that you have them with you. I'm sorry that I haven't written in a while. Time just got the best of me. It honestly went by in a blink of an eye. I can't believe that in a few months, I will be assigned to a Death Eater family. The day that I was dreading is coming quicker than I hoped. I wonder who I will be assigned to. I guess it doesn't really matter when they're all going to treat me the same. Anyway, can you believe Ron will also be joining George in the Death Eater Regime? I wonder if he will be a Guard or a Soldier. My bets are on Guard. He never was much of a fighter, more of a protector really. At least I'll be able to see him more when we both start working for the Federation of Death Eaters. I feel that's the only silver lining in this whole situation- seeing old friends. I hope the Assigning Ceremony turns out well too. The last one went to shambles when the Commanders opened fire on the Servants for talking back. Hopefully, nothing of that sort happens on my Assigning Day._ _I also forgot to tell you. The Regime located a few Defectors who were running away with their Half-Blood child. They killed the baby on the spot along with the parents. Tragic if you ask me. To know that if I were to be born in today's society, I wouldn't even have the chance to breathe. But nevermind that, there's much more to worry about! I hope to write to you again soon. I promise that I will write sooner this time, even if it costs me my life._

_Yours faithfully,_

_Hermione_

_\---_

**September 1, 1999**

Hermione combed her fingers through her hair, the pesky knots making it hard for her hand to pass smoothly through the strands. It was a nervous tick that she developed and noticed she was doing it much more lately. 

She sighed. _Assigning Day._

Her nerves were overwhelmingly present as she walked towards the double door entrance of the Federation Building. Once the Ministry of Magic, the Federation Building was now a dome-topped concrete building with multiple levels. 

The colour was a bleak shade of grey, with a statue of Lord Voldemort located just to the right of the entrance. The statue stood tall, nearly as tall as the building itself. 

There were only a few windows around the building that had light shining through to show that there were in fact people inside, but the lamp posts around the building brought most of the brightness to the building. Other than that, it was void of light, cold and full of darkness. 

Hermione presented her papers to one of the Guards blocking the entrance before walking into the building and standing in one of the long lines leading up to the counters. She examined the papers that she was given for today's Assigning Ceremony and double-checked that she had filled out her signatures. 

She noticed a familiar raven-haired girl staring at her who tried to muster a smile when she saw Hermione's gaze fall on her. The girl quickly turned away, causing Hermione to swallow the lump in her throat and look down at her hands. _Pansy Parkinson._

"Next!" 

Hermione walked forward towards a woman with blonde hair and placed her papers onto the black marble counter in front of her. 

"A Mudblood. Surprised they even let you in the building." The woman sneered before making a signature with her quill and stamping the papers. "Third floor. Take the back lift on your left and it should take you to the Mudblood seating area for the Ceremony. Next!" 

Hermione quickly grabbed the papers and walked towards the lift that the woman had told her to take. Two Guards stood beside the elevator with their arms folded over their chest, a wand in hand.

She presented them her papers, her gaze fixated on the wands. 

She could barely remember the last time she held a wand. It seemed like centuries ago. The irrefutable power she felt from her wand was everything to her growing up as a Muggle-born wizard. 

She walked into the lift as both Guards kept an eye on her every move. Another Guard stood inside the lift who asked her for a floor number.

The door to the lift was opened once it reached the floor and her gaze fell upon a long hallway that curved on each side. 

She didn't see as many girls as she did in the line, but she assumed it was because most of them weren't Muggle-born like her. 

She walked off the lift and stood beside the other Muggle-born girls. They looked up at her when they noticed her walk towards them but immediately looked back down at their feet. 

A good ten minutes went by before Blaise Zabini, a Commander, ushered them to follow him to a door at the center of the building, directly opposite the lift, that led to the Room of Ceremonies. 

The Room of Ceremonies was a large room that resembled a theatre that Hermione went to when she was younger. It was round with a stage in the middle, the seats sectioned off by two walls and a flight of stairs on each side past the walls. The seats were a dark shade of brown, while the interior of the room was a lighter shade of brown with an ornate design and a similar material to the exterior of the building. The lights were dimly lit, allowing her to just barely make out the people around her. 

Hermione realized that she was at the top-most level of the theatre as she looked down to hundreds of others below her, with men on the opposite side. 

The room was absolutely silent. As if a single sound could cause a bomb to go off. 

She turned to the girl that sat beside her before looking at the girl on the other side of her, letting out a sigh afterwards. 

A sudden loud sound echoed through the room, causing her to look at the source of the sound. 

"I would like to announce that the Assigning Ceremony is underway. Men aged twenty to thirty will be assigned or reassigned as Guards to a Death Eater family, as Guards of the Federation or as Soldiers of the Federation." A man in a dark robe stood on stage, his wand in hand amplifying his voice. "But before that, we will be assigning the women aged twenty to thirty as Servants to a Death Eater family or as Nurses of the Federation. Come forward if you fall in this category." 

All the women stood up from their seats and followed the Commanders in a line formation through the door to the stairs that led down to the stage. Hermione stood in the line that followed Blaise and felt her heart start to beat faster. 

_Was this really happening?_

Although her nerves never went away, she suddenly felt even more nervous than she was before. 

Today would decide her fate for the next ten years of her life. And she wasn't ready for it. She was never going to be ready for it.

She bit her lips as tears suddenly started to fall from her eyes - tears that she didn't notice forming. 

_Mom. Dad._

If there was anything that she wished more than reversing the effects of the war, it was seeing her parents once again. 

The day that they had been killed, which was shortly after the war, she lost all connection with her past self.

What hurt the most was that she did not know why they were killed and she never questioned why either. She knew she was never going to get an answer. 

She also knew if they saw her today, they would have burst into tears. Their daughter, the once strong and brave Hermione Granger, was just a shadow of her past, forced into submission by Voldemort. 

That brave girl seemed like a distant memory to her. 

The girls who were assigned as Nurses for the Federation were called out first, as they were mostly from Pure-blood families who were older in age. 

They were given all camo-coloured gowns that reached down to most of their knees, with a blue armband. A wand was also handed to them that was charmed to perform their duties, rather than cast spells. 

They were also branded with a Badge number using a Black Quill, that etched their numbers onto their left forearm. These were what allowed them to enter the building without having to show their papers. Anyone without papers or a Badge number was prohibited from entering the building. 

Hermione turned pale as knew that she would also be getting a similar branding mark, causing her hands to start to sweat profusely. 

When the Nurses were assigned, the Servants were next. They were assigned in order from Pure-blood, Half-blood to Muggle-borns.

Pansy was assigned to the Malfoy family, which she figured was intentional, along with Luna. Padma and Parvati Patil were assigned to the Rosier family. While Cho Chang was assigned to the Nott family. 

It took nearly an hour until it was her turn. 

"Hermione Granger."

She took a deep breath and walked up the stage, standing on the marked cross that indicated where she should stand. 

As she stood on stage, she looked out at the crowd who stared back at her blankly. All these people were fated to a similar life to hers - a life full of hardship. 

She focused her attention on the announcer, her body wanting to be anywhere else but there. 

"Step forward, Mudblood." 

Hermione cooperated and took a few steps towards the man. He walked forward and leaned down towards her before smirking, his eyes travelling down her body. He pursed his lips before circling her. 

He was toying with her. 

She stood up straighter and looked at anything else but the man. This seemed to annoy the man as he grabbed for her chin and yanked it to face her.

"Quite the beauty for a Mudblood. A shame, really," said the man, with a chuckle. He let go of his chin and looked down at the parchment in his hand. "Badge number 10641 has been assigned to the Nott family." 

_Nott. Like Theodore Nott? That was the family she was assigned to? So she was going to be with Cho._

She was dragged off the stage by the man and handed to another man in a green robe. Cho Chang was standing beside the Nott family, fumbling with her fingers, possibly to distract herself. 

Hermione was given a similar camo-coloured robe as the Nurses by Mr. Nott and frantically put it on over her clothes. She was then given a purple armband that she put on her right arm and was pushed towards the man in the green who etched her numbers onto her left forearm. 

The pain was excruciating. 

She gritted her teeth, as her right hand turned into a fist. She turned away and tried to focus her gaze on something to distract her. 

Her breath hitched when she landed on a familiar boy standing near the front row in a Commander's uniform looking right at her. She stared at him wide-eyed, her body tensing up even more. It was a face that she hadn't seen since the end of the war. Granted she hadn't seen most people for that long. 

He looked the exact same. Same icy grey eyes. Same platinum blond hair. Perhaps the only difference now was that he looked taller.

More imposing. 

His gaze lingered on her for a few more seconds before he turned to look at the people sitting in his assigned area of the Room of Ceremonies.

She continued to look at him and swallowed the lump that began to form in her throat, before turning away, mind full of unsaid thoughts. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated: January 26, 2021  
> Edited: February 2, 2021


	2. The Assigning Ceremony (Part Two)

Her temper sparked as rage overtook her. The unsaid thoughts filled with nothing but resentment for the blond-haired boy she once went to school with, who was now barely a man characterized by a dead and hollow look in his grey eyes. 

In a way, Draco Malfoy helped Voldemort kill Harry and many innocent lives on that battlefield at Hogwarts on May 2nd, 1998. 

He stood with Voldemort. He fought with him. And Hermione could never forgive him for that. 

She never really expected much of him; he would have never sided with Dumbledore’s Army. She knew that he was afraid. Afraid of what Voldemort could do to him. Afraid of what Voldemort could do to his family. 

But she couldn’t deny that it was something that she hoped would happen. That he would redeem himself and be vindicated of his faults. That she could finally get past her grudge for the boy. 

It was such a burden carrying such contempt for someone that she knew could have been a better person. Possibly a friend. And yet she questioned why she even cared. 

It was too late now anyway. 

Hemione walked back towards the Nott family who sat a few rows from the stage and stood next to Cho, her Co-Aid for the family. Theodore Nott, the son of Mr. Nott stood right in front of them in a Commander’s uniform. 

She ran a hand over the numbers ingrained into her arm and frowned. These numbers were her new identity. They would be more important than her name. They would be what allowed her to survive. 

The Federation building had a high-security system that only allowed entry to individuals that either had a badge number or had legal documents that authorized and permitted them entry into the building. 

The etching of the badge number was scanned using a spell created by the Death Eater Regime shortly after Voldemort came into power. As long as you had the numbers on your arms, you could go into the building with no problem. Anyone caught going in without legal papers would be executed on the spot, while those with no numbers would be blocked entry by a spell that automatically stunned them. 

Hermione remembered hearing about the woman that was executed outside the Federation building because she lost her papers. They tore her limb from limb.

Hermione didn’t know if it was her survival instinct or whether she was channelling her younger and more organized self, but she made sure that she never lost anything ever again. 

She looked down at the mahogany wand that was given to her on stage and gripped onto it tightly. It had been nearly a year since she had last done magic and this was the first time she had held a wand in a while.

It felt different. It was nothing like her old wand. It was rough and bent. It looked like it could snap at any moment. Just a swish of the wrist and it would be split in two. 

Although magic had been largely outlawed for everyone outside of the Federation, she constantly recited spells in her head, not only as a way to connect with her past self but also in fear of forgetting. Forgetting magic. A fear that she didn’t know she had until now.

She didn't know what the Federation was capable of and the last thing she wanted was for her magical ability to be taken away without her consent. 

She also feared dying, especially at the hands of Death Eaters. 

If she were to die, she would die on her own account and not by someone else. She vouched that she would live. That was a promise that she made to herself the day Harry died. That she would push through and live for him. For Ginny and Fred. For all those that lost their lives fighting at the Battle of Hogwarts. She didn’t want them to die in vain. 

But even now, after making that promise with herself, all she wanted to do was jump out of the Federation building and end it all, her unruly emotions getting the best of her. She wasn’t the type to engage in brash and impulsive behaviour, at least not before weighing the odds, but not being able to fight back without the fear of dying was too much to handle. 

She remembered the girl that used to fight back and speak up about the things that mattered the most - confidence that radiated a Gryffindor’s energy. 

And just like that, it was all gone. Frankly, she was tired of fighting with no hope. 

Hermione was taken out of her thoughts when she noticed Cho getting closer to her, which she assumed was as a means of comfort. The girl was shaking and her breathing was heavy. Hermione looked over at her causing Cho to look down at her with a concerned expression. It looked like she was pleading. 

Hermione noticed that Mr. Nott had a hand on Cho, which was inching closer to Cho's upper thigh. His hand lingered there before he began to caress her. 

Hermione sighed before reaching over and placing a reassuring hand on Cho’s shoulders, earning a look from Mr. Nott. Cho proceeded to close her eyes before heaving a sigh and trying to calm herself down. 

They couldn't defend themselves, even if they wanted to. Otherwise, the consequences would be severe. 

Mr. Nott had tightened his grip on her leg, his hands turning white causing Cho to yelp in pain. 

Theodore glanced back at his father when he heard Cho. He rolled his eyes and scoffed, which hadn’t been the reaction that Hermione expected. 

“Now isn’t the time to be handsy with the help, Father,” whispered Theodore, slightly leaning towards his father. 

Hermione was taken aback. _Was he defending Cho?_

“What did you s-say?” mumbled Mr. Nott as he slurred his words. He was definitely drunk. “Don’t you fucking d-dare tell me what to do. I can do w-whatever I want whenever I want t-to.” 

Theodore’s jaw clenched and he turned away without another word. 

Mr. Nott was right. He could do anything he wanted with no consequence, so it surprised Hermione that Theodore was even insinuating that his father stop. She heard stories of Death Eaters doing horrible things to the Servants, so it was a wonder why Theodore was evenly remotely trying to defend Cho when realistically she was considered inferior to them. 

_What was he playing at?_

The Ceremony, which had already been agonizingly long, was far from over. 

The man that stood on stage to assign people to their respective roles, which Hemione had learned was named Ferdinand, was now telling, rather scolding, the new members of the Death Eater Aids about how they are expected to act when they work for Death Eater families. He then proceeded to assign roles for the men, the Death Eater Regime. 

Hermione made sure that she focused this time, especially on that one name in particular. 

Her heart began to race when she saw him near the back of the line of men. He looked older but just as tall. His hair was much shorter than she last remembered, but it was still a bright red, a characteristic of a Weasley. He looked much paler than he was and much skinnier too. Hermione assumed it was due to malnutrition. She herself had lost weight pretty quickly following the war. 

The men began to be assigned to their roles. Those assigned as Guards were given a brown formal suit with a yellow armband, while the Soldiers wore a camouflage jumpsuit with a green armband. The new recruits for Commanders were all younger than the other men in the Ceremony, probably in their late teens and they wore a formal black suit and were given a red armband. 

The Soldiers all stood to one side of the Room of Ceremonies in a line, while the Guards stood on the other.

She recognized a few upper-year Gryffindors, like Oliver Wood and Cormac McLaggen, and a Ravenclaw named Roger Davies, who had been Assigned right after the war as Soldiers

A Ravenclaw and a few Hufflepuff students such as Marcus Belby, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Ernie Macmillan, Zacharias Smith were Assigned as Guards in the Assigning Ceremony and stood in their respective positions. 

Slowly but surely, it was Ron Weasley’s turn, the person that she anxiously waited to see. 

He walked up onto the stage, his long legs taking only a few strides for him to get to the cross marked on the floor. Ferdinand took his wand and pointed it at Ron before pointing it to the ground in front of him. Ron took that as an indication for him to move forward, which he did without question.

Hermione noticed that his jaw clenched; she knew he wanted to say something. Ron was always one to speak his mind, so she knew that it took everything within him not to say anything.

“Let me tell you something, boy. You’re no Soldier. No one wanted you to work for them either, so it's going to be extra difficult for me to put you anywhere.” Ferdinand scoffed as he flipped through the parchments in his hand. 

A wave of laughter erupted in the audience, with Death Eaters letting out snorts here and there. 

Hermione furrowed her brows. 

Ferdinand continued to flip through the parchment and smirked when he landed on the one that he was looking for. “Unfortunately the Commanders don’t want you to work for the Regime as a Guard either.” He inched forward towards Ron who glared at him. “Might as well get rid of the Blood traitors from the get-go, am I right?” 

Another round of laughter erupted through the room, a few cheering in agreement. 

“Sadly, it would be illegal to dispose of a Pure-blood without the Lord’s consent.” He shoved Ron, causing Ron to stumble back slightly. “Even if it would be much more amusing to have you chained and slaughtered.”

Ron looked at Ferdinand with a blank, almost ominous expression. One that had no indication of what he may do next. 

“You were one of Potter’s friends, weren’t you? Along with the Mudblood.” He gestured towards the audience, most likely referring to her. “How about paying him a visit? Would you like that?” Ron gritted his teeth, his hands forming fists. Ferdinand looked down at his fists and chuckled. He suddenly kicked Ron in the stomach, causing Ron to double over before he punched him in the face, bringing Ron down to his knees, clutching his face. 

Hermione stared in shock with her mouth agape. 

“I hate Blood traitors like you, you’re weak and pathetic.” Ferdinand spat on Ron. “You might as well be dead like that brother of yours.” 

Hermione saw tears fall down Ron’s eyes, as anger grew inside her. 

“You’re assigned to the Greengrass family as a Guard. Now get the fuck off my stage.” 

He shoved Ron off the stage after giving him a brown suit and a yellow armband. Ron reluctantly walked off stage with blood dripping down his face, his nose battered. 

She wanted to go to him. She wanted to ask him if he was okay. She wanted to hug and comfort him. She wanted to feel his warmth again. She wanted to tell him how much she missed him.

But she couldn't.

Ron noticed her as he walked to the Guard line and he gave her a small, reassuring smile. It was a smile that could light up any dark room. 

She gave him a smile, one that was genuine. She probably hadn’t felt happiness in a while, and seeing him again was probably the closest thing to it, even if it was in such circumstances. 

Ferdinand continued with the rest of the boys, and within a half-hour, he dismissed everyone. 

As Mr. Nott yelled at the two girls to follow him to his chambers on the 14th floor, Hermione noticed a few female Hogwarts students that she recognized but was unable to pay attention to when they were being assigned to their Death Eater families. 

Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones had been assigned to the Avery family. Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet were assigned to the Lestrange family. Katie Bell and Romilda Vane were assigned to the Carrow family. Marietta Edgecombe and Penelope Clearwater were assigned to Antonin Dolohov. Daphne Greengrass and Astoria Greengrass were assigned to the Goyle family, which Hermione knew was intentional. 

It seemed that all Pure-blood families who served the Dark Lord, although weren’t completely out of serving, were given much more autonomy in where they could go. Most of them were assigned to families that wouldn’t lay a hand on them. 

As the rest of the people made their way out of the Room of Ceremonies, the Commanders stood towards one side of the row of seats, all in a line formation leading up to the stage. Marcus Flint, Adrian Pucey, Terence Higgs, Cassius Warrington, Graham Montague, Miles Bletchley and Gregory Goyle were a few of those former Hogwarts students that she recognized who all stood in a line with Draco Malfoy at the front. They proceeded to usher the Regime Guards and Soldiers out before also exiting the room. 

She could hardly believe that all these young men were the highest-ranking members of the Death Eater Regime, who wouldn’t hesitate to kill if given the chance. Just a few years ago they were all students. 

Hermione had her eyes glued on a Commander who was yelling at a Guard that she didn’t notice a blond-haired boy walking towards her. 

“Pay attention, 10641.” She looked up at Draco in confusion before he pointed at the Nott’s who had already walked out the room. “You should be more careful. It’s only the first day. Wouldn’t want to start off on the wrong foot.” 

She scoffed. "What? Did you get tired of calling me Mudblood?” She paused before continuing. “And why the hell do you care what happens to me?" 

“I don’t think you want to use that tone with me.” He leaned down, his face inches away from hers. “I could kill you right now if I wanted.” 

“That’s all you’re good for anyway.” She stated, glaring at up him as tears started to well up in her eyes. “Might as well fulfill your duty and end it all now. You'd like that wouldn't you?” 

He stared at her, biting his lips. He let out a sigh before grabbing her arms and dragging her out the door. He led her towards the elevator where Mr. Nott stood along with Cho and Theodore. He shoved her towards them and left with no word. 

Mr. Nott grabbed Hermione by the hair and pushed her into the elevator. “When I tell you to follow me, I expect you to follow me, you filthy bitch. And you! Get in here!” He yelled, addressing Cho this time before she scrambled into the elevator with Theodore following behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated: February 3, 2021  
> Edited: N/A


End file.
